"Obey" Manifesto

[vector7]

Obey Posters

Posters popping up around Seattle. But what does it mean?



Meaning Of Obama Signs In Downtown Seattle A Mystery

Monday, January 19, 2009 – updated: 6:00 pm PST January 19, 2009
SEATTLE -- Dozens of posters near the Space Needle depicting President-elect Barack Obama in whiteface have some people wondering what they mean and others saying the signs are racist. The black and white posters, with the likeness of Barack Obama and the word "OBEY?" underneath it, were found plastered around the vicinity of the Space Needle on Monday morning.Seattle resident Michael Boren said he thought the posters were racist, while resident Kenny Brown said he didn't know what message the signs were meant to portray.KIRO 7 Eyewitness News anchor and reporter Chris Egert wanted to know what the president of the Seattle Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People thought.NAACP President James Bible was away in Washington, D.C., for the inauguration so Egert e-mailed a photo to Bible, who said he would not speculate on the signs but hopes the person behind the posters is willing to discuss what they mean.Meanwhile, Egert found a group of Auburn High School teens who were willing to discuss the signs' meaning."How many of you think they are disrespectful?" asked Egert."It is pretty messed up actually, when you think about it," said student Dominic Benavides.

Signs mysteriously appeared near the Space Needle Monday.

"I think it is just a ploy to get people's attention," said student Raul Rodriguez.The students may continue discussion on the posters when their Global Issues class resumes on Tuesday.There is a clothing company called OBEY. A spokesman for the company says it has nothing to do with the posters.

[vector7]

Shepard Fairey - The Obey Manifesto

the logic behind the sticker and stencil campaign By AC_Luke THE INFORMATION BELOW WAS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM A DOCUMENT WRITTEN BY SHEPARD FAIREY.



The OBEY sticker campaign can be explained as an experiment in Phenomenology. Heidegger describes Phenomenology as "the process of letting things manifest themselves." Phenomenology attempts to enable people to see clearly something that is right before their eyes but obscured; things that are so taken for granted that they are muted by abstract observation. The FIRST AIM OF PHENOMENOLOGY is to reawaken a sense of wonder about one's environment. The OBEY sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker and their relationship with their surroundings. Because people are not used to seeing advertisements or propaganda for which the product or motive is not obvious, frequent and novel encounters with the sticker provoke thought and possible frustration, nevertheless revitalizing the viewer's perception and attention to detail. The sticker has no meaning but exists only to cause people to react, to contemplate and search for meaning in the sticker.



Because OBEY has no actual meaning, the various reactions and interpretations of those who view it reflect their personality and the nature of their sensibilities. Many people who are familiar with the sticker find the image itself amusing, recognizing it as nonsensical, and are able to derive straightforward visual pleasure without burdening themselves with an explanation. The PARANOID OR CONSERVATIVE VIEWER however may be confused by the sticker's persistent presence and condemn it as an underground cult with subversive intentions.



Many stickers have been peeled down by people who were annoyed by them, considering them an eye sore and an act of petty vandalism, which is ironic considering the number of commercial graphic images everyone in American society is assaulted with daily. Another phenomenon the sticker has brought to light is the trendy and CONSPICUOUSLY CONSUMPTIVE nature of many members of society. For those who have been surrounded by the sticker, its familiarity and cultural resonance is comforting and owning a sticker provides a souvenir or keepsake, a memento. People have often demanded the sticker merely because they have seen it everywhere and possessing a sticker provides a sense of belonging. The Giant sticker seems mostly to be embraced by those who are (or at least want to seem to be) rebellious.



Even though these people may not know the meaning of the sticker, they enjoy its slightly disruptive underground quality and wish to contribute to the furthering of its humorous and absurd presence which seems to somehow be antiestablishment/societal convention.

Giant stickers are both embraced and rejected, the reason behind which, upon examination reflects the psyche of the viewer. Whether the reaction be positive or negative, the stickers existence is worthy as long as it causes people to consider the details and meanings of their surroundings. In the name of fun and observation.

Shepard Fairey, 1990

2009 © Associated Content, All rights reserved.

[American Patriot]

Words mean things.

The word "Obey" means something, but, right now I just can not recall it's precise meaning.... nor will I.

[vector7]

---

---

VIDEONETDAILY
I pledge allegiance to Obama
Celebrities promise to 'be a servant to our president'

---

Posted: January 20, 2009
9:25 pm Eastern

By Drew Zahn
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Screen capture from finale of celebrity pledge video.

In a new YouTube video produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions, dozens of celebrities – television and movie actors, sports heroes, musicians and more – describe how they will pledge to "be the change" and "be a servant to our president."

The video opens with a quote from President Truman, "They say that the job of the president is the loneliest job in the world," something the celebrities plan to alleviate for Obama by pledging to pitch in through several causes.

Throughout the video, the celebrities pledge to support local food banks, to smile more, to be better parents, to work with the charity UNICEF, to "never give anyone the finger when I'm driving again," to help find a cure for Alzheimer's, to meet neighbors, to use less plastic, to plant 500 trees, to "be more green," to turn the lights off and to "free 1 million people from slavery in the next five years," among dozens of other pledges.

The purpose of all this pledging is summed up in the video's grand finale.
Actors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher begin the closing scene by saying, "I pledge to be a servant to our president and all mankind."

Then, as the scene pans out, the other celebrities joint the chant: "Because together we can, together we are, and together we will be the change that we seek."

By the end of the mass pledge, the camera has panned back to a mosaic of faces that morphs into a picture of Barack Obama's face with the words, "Be the change."

The video is posted below:

While many of the celebrity promises – such as drinking less bottled water or being a better mom – may seem innocuous, other pledges touch on controversial subjects. Actress Alyssa Milano, for example, pledges "to be the voice for those that have no voice," a concept claimed by many pro-life advocates.

Other celebrities touch on politicized issues like pledging to "advance stem cell research" or to "sell my obnoxious car and buy a hybrid."

Black athlete Michael Strahan, for example, pledges "to consider myself an American, not an African American."

And while several of the celebrities attempt to portray heartfelt emotion and others attempt to be funny in their pledges, tattooed celebrity Anthony Kiedis of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers may have been going for the shock effect.

"I pledge allegiance to the funk, to the United Funk of Funkadelica," says Kiedis. Later, while kissing his own biceps, he further declares, "I pledge to be of service [kiss] to Barack Obama [kiss]."

Near the end of the video, the celebrities took turns looking into the camera and challenging, "What's your pledge?"

Not surprisingly, viewer reaction and comments on the video have been widely mixed.

One cynical poster responds, "Why did it take Obama to get elected for these Hollywood libs to pledge? Be a better father? Why did you wait so long?"

Several others responded that the celebrity pledges were "inspiring."
One poster writes, "I pledge to not stop here, but to continue to engage the community in making my community, this state, this nation and this world a better, more beautiful place."

Another contributor, however, while not criticizing the effort to volunteer or improve America, nonetheless took exception to the celebrities promising to serve President Obama.

"I pledge to keep treating the President of the United States of America as the public servant that he is supposed to be," writes the contributor. "I pledge to attempt to correct anyone who thinks that we owe some allegiance to Barack Obama the man, rather than the country he is supposed to represent."

The poster concluded, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands: one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

[vector7]

Movin' on up: Former street artist gets first show at ICA

Greg Derr / Patriot Ledger

"Supply and Demand," a new show of the popular graphic artist Shepard Fairey's work, opening Feb 6th at the Institute Of Contemporary Art/Boston. Sherpard Fairey talks about his work, behind him is one of his largest pieces: Obey Middle East Mural. GREG DERR

By Chris Bergeron/DAILY NEWS STAFF
Posted Feb 09, 2009 @ 10:13 AM

Last update Feb 09, 2009 @ 10:17 AM

BOSTON — Once an underground artist, Shepard Fairey has become a brand name.

Over 20 years he's morphed from art student to skateboarding graffiti tagger. A once little-known street artist whose posters challenged authority, he's exploded into a cultural phenomenon with as many fans as critics.

As a Rhode Island School of Design student in 1989, Fairey's subversive Andre the Giant poster campaign forged a signature style equally funky, retro and marketable. His reputation metastasized as he and fans around the globe pasted his graphic images of Stalin, Mao, Tupac and others on lampposts, billboards and empty walls.

The son of a South Carolina doctor, Fairey whose little-used first name is Frank exploded into the ionosphere of public awareness last year when his image of Barack Obama, emblazoned with the word "Hope," was endorsed by the candidate's campaign and 800,000 copies were distributed.

Now a sweeping retrospective at the Institute of Contemporary Art of Fairey's improbable ascent pronounces him, according to Director Jill Medvedow, an artist whose "integration of design, popular culture and politics places him in the current of artistic and cultural forces that shape our world today."

Titled "Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand," the first solo show of his work features more than 200 pieces including decorated skateboards, images of revolutionaries and rock stars, George Orwell's Big Brother, George Bush with fangs, the Obama image which Time magazine used for its Person of the Year cover and a powerful wall-sized installation commissioned by the ICA.

Describing Fairey's impact, Medvedow said his "powerful and varied body of work has reached into all aspects of our visual culture from political posters to T-shirts ad album covers, and now museum installations."

Co-organized by Pedro H. Alonzo and Emily Moore Bouillet, the exhibit is bright, bold, comprehensive and mucho fun because it feels so hip.

At a well-attended Tuesday morning opening, Alonzo gushingly praised Fairey's art for its social and political impact. Fairey's work, he said, was "empowering" for "questioning society and making it better."

Alonzo said Fairey's art incorporated "literary references to the abuse of power and what can go wrong if we are not mindful of it."

Fifty years ago the same would have been more credibly spoken of Orwell whose prophetic novels "1984" and "Animal Farm" are now sold in the ICA gift shop with ominous covers by Fairey.

"Supply and Demand" comprises works in varied media including screen prints, stencils, stickers, rubylith illustrations, collages and works on wood, metal and canvas. It is divided thematically into several sections: "Propaganda," "Portraiture," "Hierarchies of Power," "War and Peace,"

"Stylized," "Music" and "Question Everything." It runs through Aug. 16.

The critical praise of Fairey's art often seemed grander than individual works which are commonly red-tinted poster-like images of revolutionaries, musicians or offbeat celebrities set above a counter-intuitive slogan.

For Alonzo, "Fairey's work is a call to action about hierarchies and abuses of power, politics and the commodification of culture.

"Fairey is committed to creating work that has meaning for his audience by using familiar cultural iconography that people can relate to, and by constantly bring his work into the public sphere," he said.

To his credit, Fairey responded to his coronation with self-deprecating humor.

Wearing sneakers and a black Clash T-shirt, he downplayed the grand assessments. Instead he cast his art as a progression of earlier attacks on authority.

"It's embarrassing to call art work," he said. "...It's my justification for 20 years mischief."

Reflecting on his career, Fairey divided his art into "street pieces" and "more finessed fine art."

"When it's on canvas, it's fine art," he said. "...I want to communicate with everyone, not just the people who see art in a gallery."

Fairey said his Obama poster "like others was not original" but adapted from an image he initially found online. He left no doubt he hoped his work would be judged for its social consciousness and not just traditional aesthetics.

"It's important to have a point of view," he said. "A lot of people can paint a better landscape than I."

Fairey described his artistic credo in disarmingly simple terms. "It's important to make fun of authority and have a sense of humor. Submission to everything monolithic is not a good thing," he said.



Now 39, he moderated his renegade image as an artist rebelling against everything. The exhibit's last section, "Question Everything," featured two wall-sized images on opposite sides of the gallery contrasting the good and bad "Sides of Capitalism," which makes sense since the ICA exhibit is sponsored by Levi Strauss & Co.

When an audience member asked how art changes when it moves "from the street to the gallery," Fairey quickly replied, "It gains tons of dollar signs."



A recent claim by the Associated Press that Fairey based his Obama image without credit on their photo has revived earlier criticism he frequently "appropriated" or borrowed others' images rather than create his own.


Obama Hope

The coronation of Fairey as artist-as-social-critic reveals as much about the commercialization of street culture as the uncertain aesthetic value of his own work.

Viewers made anxious by art they've been told is great but don't understand why will be comforted by recognizable images of Che Guevera, Angela Davis, Marilyn Monroe, Flavor Flav and lots of other celebrity revolutionaries.

At first glance, many of Fairey's images resemble propaganda posters that might have been plastered on walls in revolutionary era Moscow, Shanghai or Hanoi.


But from the beginning, Fairey subverted the authority of the powerful figures he portrayed, like Lenin, a Vietnamese guerrilla or Uncle Sam, by adding in block letters across the poster bottom, OBEY.

His visual mantra, Obey Castro, Obey (Johnny) Rotten, Obey Punk Chomsky, Obey Surveillance Eye, Obey Soup Can, touched a rebellious counter-cultural chord that already believed no one should be trusted.
Many considered Fairey's ironic OBEY posters the epitome of chic rebellion.
But others felt his knowing winks to a generation programmed to skepticism were the same as advertising Miller Lite during the Super Bowl.

So why are unknown graffiti taggers spray-painting "(expletive) Shepard Fairey" on newspaper boxes along Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge?
See the exhibit and decide for yourself.

With so many conflicting assessments floating about, visitors might ask: Has an elitist art-world-gone-nuts anointed Fairey the newest pop culture Picasso?

Or is he just another flavor du jour whose work makes Andy Warhol's look like Michelangelo's?

As Alonzo said, "The best way to see Shepard's work is to run into it."
That's good advice.

[Ryan Ruck]

Obey? No...

[vector7]

+1000

[vector7]

24 hours in the Army
"I will obey the President of the United States, so help me God."

On CNN they have a clip showing the soldiers, newest Army recruits swearing their oath to obey the President.

1:03 minutes into the clip:

"I will obey the president of the United States, so help me God."

[American Patriot]

THIS is the CORRECT oath by the US Code. THIS is what I said, multiple times.


"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

[vector7]

THIS is the CORRECT oath by the US Code. THIS is what I said, multiple times.


"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

You are correct Rick,

What I found to be interesting was CNN's editing of the video. The person administering the oath says, and the recruits repeat, ...and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States. So help me God."

The words "according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice" seem to have been edited out, or omitted from
the oath.

[New Guy]

i think it might have been edited video, as in they said the full oath but cnn cut out the missing part. nothing to worry about here.

[American Patriot]

i think it might have been edited video, as in they said the full oath but cnn cut out the missing part. nothing to worry about here.

So... why would CNN of all news agencies do something like that?

I mean, they and MSNBC are well known for their Left leaning views on things and editing a video to make it sound like that isn't something it would seem any news agency would WANT to do deliberately, right?

[Malsua]

So... why would CNN of all news agencies do something like that?

I mean, they and MSNBC are well known for their Left leaning views on things and editing a video to make it sound like that isn't something it would seem any news agency would WANT to do deliberately, right?

I don't know why they'd do that. They might like to think soldiers will obey the president if a revolution occurs and they're encouraging it. Apparently they haven't heard of the statement: "First against the wall". It's the position these 5th column types will be in if their socialist utopia comes to pass.

[vector7]

Presidential Proclamation -- Loyalty Day May 1, 2013

LOYALTY DAY, 2013
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

In the centuries since America broke from an empire and claimed independence, our people have come together again and again to meet the challenges of a changing world. We have reinvented our cities with advances in science and reformed our markets with new understanding of the forces that guide them. We have fought for freedom in the theater of war and expanded its reach during times of peace. We have revamped and recovered and remade ourselves anew, mindful that when times change, so must we. But with every step forward, we have reaffirmed our faith in the ideals that inspired our founding. We have held fast to the principles at our country's core: service and citizenship; courage and the common good; liberty, equality, and justice for all.

This is our Nation's heritage, and it is what we remember on Loyalty Day. It is an occasion that asks something of us as a people: to rediscover those ageless truths our Founders held to be self-evident, and to renew them in our own time. We look back to Americans who did the same, from generation to generation -- citizens who strengthened our democracy, organizers who made it broader, service members who gave everything to protect it. These patriots and pioneers remind us that while our path to a more perfect Union is unending, with hope and hard work, we can move forward together.

Today, we rededicate ourselves to that enduring task. We do so knowing our journey is not complete until the promises of our founding documents are made real for every American, regardless of their station in life or the circumstances of their birth. Progress may come slow; the road may be long. But as loyal citizens of these United States, we have the power to set our country's course. Let us mark this day by pressing on in the march toward lasting freedom and true equality, grateful for the precious rights and responsibilities entrusted to each of us by our forebears.

In order to recognize the American spirit of loyalty and the sacrifices that so many have made for our Nation, the Congress, by Public Law 85-529 as amended, has designated May 1 of each year as "Loyalty Day." On this day, let us reaffirm our allegiance to the United States of America, our Constitution, and our founding values.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2013, as Loyalty Day. This Loyalty Day, I call upon all the people of the United States to join in support of this national observance, whether by displaying the flag of the United States or pledging allegiance to the Republic for which it stands.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

BARACK OBAMA

[American Patriot]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHALOL ROFTLMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No Way, I Won't Obey!

[Ryan Ruck]

I thought everything he just talked about was what Independence Day was for.

Oh, that's right that celebrates INdependence. He's all about the DEPENDENCE.

Honestly if I hadn't seen the link to the WH website, I'd have thought that headline was from The Onion.

Almost forgot...

[Brykovian]

Weird that they'd pick May 1st ... actually, it isn't weird at all ...

Creepy, exactly in the sense that Ryan mentions: They're acting as if this hasn't been said before, or is needing renewing of some sort -- like everyone has forgotten. But we haven't forgotten. And we don't need a new day -- certainly not coinciding with world workers' day.

And even creepier ... this was passed by Congress first?

-Bryk

[Ryan Ruck]

Very true Bryk. What it is is more incrementalism. They're trying to re-write history and our culture bit by bit.

I want to see the roll call of who all voted for this.

[American Patriot]

According to Communist site Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalty_Day

According to Glocktalk: http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1484718

(And Byrk are you "Mrs. Tink"? /chuckles)

Was looking for roll call, Ryan, no joy.

[Brykovian]

(And Byrk are you "Mrs. Tink"? /chuckles)

lol -- funny how close her (?) comment is to mine ... weird. But, no ... I'm not "Mrs" anything around the net. ;-)

I did notice further down on that glocktalk thread that Rick linked to, they mentioned that this was passed by Congress during the Eisenhower administration. Apparently it was done during the heat of red scare to "take back" that May 1st date and make an American version of it. And Presidents make a proclamation about it from time to time.

So ... less creepy then ... but still not needed, imo. Of course, I was just a twinkle in those red scare days.

-Bryk